About Us

About Grassroots Unwired

Grassroots Unwired is built on the philosophy that mobile-first technology can be customized and utilized for the greater good. From helping progressive candidates win elections to empowering non-profit organizations working to save our environment, balance inequality and improve our communities, our goal is to bridge historical canvassing with groundbreaking technology. We are transforming the way our clients galvanize support for their candidates and their causes.

Grassroots Unwired operates on the principle that groundbreaking technology can expand a constituent base, amplify fundraising results, and capture information that can be useful across the entire campaign or organization. But most importantly, Grassroots Unwired inspires our clients to be mobile: When the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) sought to enhance their fundraising efforts in the field, they turned to us. When the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) top targeted races needed a critical advantage in the field, they turned to us. When the best of progressive America demands a customized solution to embolden their field operations, the only choice is Grassroots Unwired.

Our Story

A few years ago, Grassroots Unwired’s CEO, Russ Oster, was sitting in a strategy meeting for a statewide campaign in New Jersey when the conversation turned to the field program. The campaign manager spoke up, “We’re about to spend thousands of dollars on people going door-to-door and we have no idea if they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing and, if they are, we’ve got to enter all that data into a computer.”

Russ had a “light bulb moment” and immediately set out to create a prototype that could transform old-fashioned canvassing into modernized field work. He knew that the right technology could save time for campaigns and advocacy organizations whose staff was manually entering data. It could also empower canvassers with instant, thorough, and accurate information – enhancing their face-to-face experience and enabling them to raise more money for campaigns while galvanizing more people to sign up and take more actions.

Russ and his newly minted team took the proof of concept from the New Jersey campaign, packaged it and entered it in the prestigious DreamIt Ventures startup accelerator program, which awarded Grassroots Unwired $25,000 and acceptance into its coveted program in Philadelphia. After successfully completing the incubator, Grassroots Unwired attracted the financial backing of Ben Franklin Technology Partners., two Philadelphia-based angel investment groups, and a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley.